Healthful fast-food chains profit in farm-to-table trend

Associated Press

MIAMI

They want it fresh. They want it cheap. They want it fast. And most importantly, they don’t want it to taste like it’s good for them.

That’s a tall order for the new crop of healthy fast-casual restaurant chains, a segment that has struggled in the past but now is flourishing thanks to celebrity chef backings and the popular farm-to-table trend.

“Make it better for me, but I don’t want to give anything up. I want less salt, no antibiotics, no trans-fats, more fruits, more veggies. I don’t go out to restaurants to give stuff up; I go to restaurants to be tantalized,” Greg Dollarhyde, CEO of Santa Monica-based chain Veggie Grill, said by way of summarizing the typical consumer.

More Americans are choosing foods based on the benefits — antioxidants, polyphenols, omega-3s — rather than based on what’s being left out — fat, sodium and carbohydrates, according to industry analysts. It’s a switch from an avoidance diet to an add-in diet. And these new chains are capitalizing on that change, giving vegetables and good-for-you grains top billing at the center of the plate.

But they’re careful not to label themselves as vegan or vegetarian, which could alienate customers. Instead, Veggie Grill — which has 28 restaurants on the West Coast — says its biggest growth has been among the typical meat-eating consumer, and maybe the occasional flexitarian (semi-vegetarians) looking to eat more whole, unprocessed vegetables and grains.

Which is why the restaurants prefer buzzy terms such as veggie-centric.

It’s a marketing message that resonates as the number of people who say they’re trying to get more protein in their diet overall has been declining, says food industry analyst Harry Balzer, of the Chicago-based consumer research firm NPD Group. “We’re not trying to get more protein. We’re trying to get different sources of protein. ... Generally, they’re cheaper plant-based sources,” he said.

Sales at healthful fast-casual chains totaled about $384 million in 2014, up almost 30 percent from 2013, according to preliminary data from Technomic. And locally sourced meats and produce and minimally processed natural ingredients were among the top-five menu trends for 2015, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association.

And plenty of restaurant chains are jumping into the pool. Sweetgreen’s popular build-a-bowl concept has spawned more than two dozen locations in six states, with two California restaurants opening soon. And this month, Cava Grill announced a $16 million cash infusion to expand its Mediterranean-style big-bowl fare on the West Coast. They currently have eight locations around Washington, D.C.